Love Life (2020) s02e01 Episode Script

[narrator] There is no destiny.
There are no soulmates.
There is no "one."
And yet, it could be said
that the core of human concern
is a desire to connect.
Upon further exploration
of this phenomenon,
it becomes clear
that there is only so much
one can glean
from examining a single life.
Tequila!
Congratulation, you're married!
Yeah! For now. [chuckles]
[exhales]
Thanks.
[narrator] Because for every choice
that subject makes,
someone else is out there
charting an entirely different course.
Uh, Bulleit rocks.
[narrator] Marcus Watkins
had always adapted as a means of survival,
carefully constructing
chameleonic variations of himself
in order to present
a certain facade to the world.
As a result, his own impulses
were often shrouded
in a fog of self-consciousness.
- What's up, nerd?
- Hey, babe.
Sorry, it's Keely.
Josh has been all over me
to get something good.
Finish that shit so we can dance.
Yeah, totally.
Just, uh, give me one second. Okay?
You gotta get them to stop putting you
on those influencer books.
I think she's about to leave me alone.
I will come find you.
Sure you don't wanna do a bump?
Uh, I'm good. I did one earlier.
Yeah, like an hour ago.
[narrator] This is the story
of Marcus Watkins.
[indistinct chatter]
You're in my hiding spot, dude.
Nah.
Nah, nah, this is, uh, my hiding spot.
I've been coming out here all night.
Okay.
Who you hiding from?
Darby, she keeps trying
to get me to dance.
I'm like, "Dance with your husband."
- What?
- [both laugh]
Are you one of those
"doesn't dance at weddings" people?
I can't dance
in a room full of white people.
- I feel I'm on display.
- Yup.
They turn and look. You'd be like, "What?"
- [both laugh]
- No. I I
I know the feeling.
Although, truth be told,
I'm not a great dancer, so.
Oh.
That's too bad.
[scoffs]
Come
Come on! This is dumb.
This, um
Sorry, it's like BuzzFeed became sentient
and wrote a book.
[laughs] What are you, a book critic?
Close, I'm a book editor.
Oh.
That's usually the response I get.
[laughs] I'm sorry. Let me try that again.
- That's incredible. Wow!
- Okay, all right.
- A book editor. Oh!
- I know, I know.
- I know, I know, I know.
- [laughs]
Is this guy lost or what?
So, um, Mr. Book Editor,
do you have any recommendations for me?
Oh. Well, uh, what are you into?
Reading.
All right, smart ass.
- [laughing]
- Um
My favorite thing I've read recently
is this sci-fi thing
set in this alternate universe
where Haiti was never colonized.
- That's cool.
- Yeah.
- What's it called?
- It's not published yet.
- You had one job.
- Yeah, I know.
- One. [laughs]
- I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
But it's [clicks tongue]
It's real good.
I can't stop thinking about it.
And it's written by this kid who's,
like, finishing up
the grad program over at Colombia.
Can you send it to me?
Yeah, all right, yeah.
Give me your email.
I'm Marcus, by the way.
Mia.
So, how'd you end up
at this sad-ass wedding?
Uh
My wife used to work with Magnus.
Cool.
Yeah, we were surprised
we even got the invite.
- He's not even that close with Emily.
- Emily?
Yeah, she's the one
doing the ice luge with the bride.
- [Darby exclaims]
- [muffled laughing]
[laughs]
That makes sense.
What's that supposed to mean?
- Makes sense?
- Nothing.
[chuckles] Oh.
Fucking finally, here's my Uber.
[chuckles]
It was nice meeting you.
Nice to meet you, too.
[Mia] For Mia?
[upbeat music playing]
[narrator] When Marcus met
his wife, Emily,
their very coupling
had been a way for him to rebel.
While she wasn't considered
the right choice
in his family of origin,
she was his choice,
and that was all that mattered.
[woman] Cake coming in!
Beep, beep!
Time to celebrate the bride and groom!
Mag, put me down! Put me down!
No, Magnus, Magnus, put me down!
- Okay!
- Sorry.
- [Magnus sniffs]
- [chuckles nervously]
I just don't like that. I'm sorry.
All right, who wants cake?
Who wants it?
[chuckles]
- Who are you?
- Magnus' friend.
Ooh!
- We got a wrong answer!
- Give me the knife.
[man] Easy there, killer.
We don't want a lawsuit.
Whoo!
I had so much fun.
Yeah, I bet you did, Scarface.
[both laugh]
- Did you?
- [clicks tongue] Uh, yeah.
Yeah, totally.
Sorry I couldn't get on your level.
- Okay, I'm coming down now.
- [both laugh]
You didn't do any mingling?
Uh, no, no, I just had to deal
with that work shit.
I feel like I saw you
talking to some girl.
You "feel" like you saw me?
Yes.
[both laugh]
Who was she?
Don't know,
some girl who works with Darby.
[mimics Marcus] Ooh,
some girl who works with Darby
with a really nice red dress.
[Marcus chuckles]
Come on.
[in normal voice] Okay.
I gotta go to sleep.
- Good night.
- Good night.
Unless you wanna have sex.
Oh.
Yeah, yeah.
I'm really tired.
[both laughing]
It's okay.
As soon as I said it, I was like
But, uh But tomorrow, though.
- Tomorrow.
- Gonna wear that ass out.
Ooh.
Okay.
Can you put on a podcast?
Now that I can do.
What do you wanna listen to?
Anything. I just need some noise.
This is Fresh Air. I'm Terry Gross.
My guest, comic W. Kamau Bell
- [Emily] Yes.
- [Marcus] Oh, hell yeah.
[Terry] CNN, where he's hosting
a new docuseries
[door closes]
[water gushing]
- [gushing tops]
- [shower running]
[shower running]
[cell phone buzzes]
[upbeat music playing]
- [upbeat music continues]
- [indistinct chatter]
[woman] What's up, Marcus?
Morning.
- Freddie.
- Hey, what's up, Marcus?
[Marcus] What's going on?
[Freddie] All right, you got a lot
going on. You got a Trae Lang
- Yo, buddy.
- Hey, Josh, what's up?
- How's Keely's book coming?
- Uh, it It's coming.
We got a title, "Influencee to Influencer
"in 140 Easy Steps, open parentheses,
"Really 141 Steps, But Who's Counting?
Winky face emoji, close parentheses."
- That's the whole title?
- Yeah.
- That's too long.
- You think?
You know how well these books do.
You're really carving out a new niche,
- books for people who don't read.
- Yeah.
I'm gonna move to
straight-up picture books.
Sorry to interrupt, but Trae Lang is here.
- Should I grab him?
- Oh. Yeah, I'm ready.
The Colombia grad student
I was telling you about.
Did you read his book?
No, Marcus, I The last Afro-futurism book
that you foisted upon me sold shit.
It wasn't that bad.
Besides, this "one for them,
one for me" model
doesn't work if I never get one.
Can you just summarize it for me?
Like, half a page.
- Sure, okay.
- Cool.
[people cheering, applauding]
Damn, white people wilding around here
Yeah.
[Marcus] Trae.
Marcus Watkins.
'Sup, Marcus Watkins?
All right.
Uh
I gotta tell you,
I've been really looking forward
to this meeting.
How come you got no brothers on the wall?
Uh
- Do The Right Thing?
- Oh. [chuckles] Yeah, right, Sal's.
- Funny.
- I'm fucking with you.
You got plenty of Black people up there.
- What are you, head of the urban division?
- [chuckles]
I, uh I try to create more opportunities
for writers of color, sure.
But what I loved about you
is that you're young
and honest, and, man,
your writing is so visceral.
Together, we can refine it.
[chuckles]
Crazy. Now they got Black dudes telling me
it's too Black instead of white guys.
- Whoa. No, I didn't say it was too Black.
- I'm not dumb.
I know what "refined" is code for.
All right, let me explain
what I can do for you.
My job is to nurture your vision
and ultimately to fight for you.
We have to get it in shape first.
- So you're a fighter?
- Yeah, I'd say so.
I'd say you're the middleman.
I'm not trying to insult you. I get it.
We need guys like you
to translate guys like me.
- I'm sorry, "guys like me"?
- Come on, Barack.
Safe, non-threatening.
Al Roker, LeVar Burton, Samuel L. Jackson.
Samuel L. Jackson? Non-threatening?
You think you get to go from Pulp Fiction
to Capital One
if you really scare white people?
I'd like to talk about the book.
See, that's just it, man.
I say crazy shit all the time,
and if you wanna be my editor,
you gotta be ready to spar with me.
Okay.
Look, you are genuinely talented.
And this is a good manuscript
that could be a great book.
You've obviously come here
with preconceived notions about who I am,
what I do and how I do it.
I'm gonna be honest with you.
No one is gonna buy this book,
including this company, the way it is.
But if you are willing
to pull up your sleeves
and do the work, we can get it there.
Classic Obama.
Look, man,
I'm just trying to be real with you.
Huh?
Thought you liked to spar?
Yeah, whatever, uh, Marcus Watkins,
I think this meeting is over.
I'ma go meet the other editors
I gotta meet with.
Okay, that's fine.
Good luck finding one that will publish
a 1,000-page book from an unknown author.
Fuck y'all looking at?
[Yogi] That's a pretty hot
Sam Jackson take.
The kid's a fucking nut.
But that's what you do.
You're the nut gatherer,
dealing with nutty-ass writers.
I tried to dap him up,
and he goes with this
white guy business handshake.
He went for the graduation handshake?
Like I'm some square
that can't dap you up.
Sound like he hit you
straight to the basket.
Everybody vying for your approval,
now you're vying for his.
You should be a psychiatrist.
I should, dealing with
your weak-ass problems. [laughs]
I can't believe this kid didn't dap me up.
- [phone ringing]
- Hold on one second. Hold that thought.
Yo, yo, it's Yogi.
Ah, Mr. DiMarzio, how are you, man?
Nothing. Chilling with
Carmelo and Kristaps.
wondering why you ain't got
the 2017 sweet.
2017 is our year.
Uh-huh. Full of linguini,
like you like it.
Ah!
My pasta brother.
All right, man, talk soon.
Tell your wife I said hello. All right.
Big bitch. Hello.
I thought you sold luxury boxes.
Sounds like you got demoted
to concessions.
They love pasta. I don't know what it is.
He don't even watch the game.
All he do is eat the linguini.
Him and his wife do the little [slurps]
Then they kiss.
Anyway, I'm trying to tell you.
Don't let this dude
get you off your square.
You know what you are.
Who you are. You're a happy dude.
You're successful. He's not, fuck 'im.
Man, you're right. You're right.
Man, fuck Trae, small-ass child.
Yeah, he's shorter than me,
and I'm not tall, you know?
[exhales]
[cell phone buzzes]
Give me a scratch.
- [scratching]
- [Emily sighs]
- [rapid scratching]
- [winces]
Okay, I'm good. Thank you.
It's so funny
how the scratching feels amazing,
and then the second it's too much,
it's like [grunts]stop.
And also, will you put a carrot in my ass?
Hmm?
Sorry.
Sorry, work stuff. Um
Can I ask you something?
- What?
- Who am I like?
Who are you like?
Yeah, like, who do you I remind you of?
Who am I similar to?
A celebrity, if that helps,
a Black celebrity.
- Is this a trap?
- No.
I was trying to narrow it down for you.
I mean, I know this is really obvious,
especially since we met
right around inauguration,
but I have to say Obama.
Really? Why?
He's so smart and, like, poised.
He unifies people, you know?
He never gets angry.
He always keeps his cool.
- Thanks.
- Are you mad?
No, no.
I think being compared to the president
is a huge compliment.
And it is. It totally is.
- This was your idea.
- Yeah, I know, I know.
So, I haven't thought about this in years,
but I know who else you remind me of.
Who?
I had the biggest crush on him
when I was a kid,
the Reading Rainbow guy.
And I remember he had an earring, too,
and that just blew my mind.
You've never thought about
getting an earning, right?
[narrator] Marcus knew
Mia was in a relationship,
but he was, too, so really,
what was the harm
in them continuing to talk?
Mm, you're gonna want me back
In your arms ♪
Hey, asshole, move!
- One day ♪
- One day ♪
You're gonna want me back ♪
[narrator] Hiding in the plausible
deniability of their "friendship,"
Marcus was able to converse
with Mia constantly.
[woman] I issued a formal apology
on my YouTube channel.
I talked about it honestly ad nauseam
for an hour, and most of my videos
are only 30 minutes, so I feel like
I don't know.
[woman continues speaking indistinctly]
I don't know, I'm just like,
do I need to keep bringing it up
and hashing it out in this book?
[narrator] He took
her apparent reciprocity as a sign
that the relationship she was in
had just as many cracks as his own.
Can I get a Greek salad?
I'd like the chicken Caesar,
but sub broccoli for chicken.
- Yo, what the fuck?
- [chuckles] What?
Don't worry about it.
Sub broccoli for chicken
on a chicken Caesar?
Yes, it's the Caesar taste,
but I want it more green.
She just wants a bag of roughage.
I would really love
your finest bag of roughage, please.
- Thank you.
- Wow.
Now it's like a thing where
two Black people arguing
about vegetables in the store.
[narrator] For years,
Emily's regular night shifts at Maeve
had afforded both, her
and Marcus, an autonomy
that each of them had always tried
to reinforce with a mutual trust.
Marcus had, on multiple occasions,
tested that trust
with so-called "harmless crushes."
Technically, he'd never crossed the line.
Hey, I thought you had the night off.
No, I'll be back late.
Tiffany's out sick,
and we're short-staffed.
- All good, have a good night.
- You, too.
In your arms ♪
You're gonna need me one day ♪
[sighs]
You're gonna want me back ♪
[narrator] But this time around,
Mia was the only thing
he could think about.
Tell me who's gonna take ♪
The heartbreak I took ♪
And still be there ♪
At the close of the book ♪
When you've grown older ♪
And lost your way ♪
And all your rainbows ♪
Have turned to gray ♪
You better stop ♪
And think about what you're doing ♪
You better stop ♪
And think about what you're doing ♪
Well, give a little back ♪
Of what you've been taking ♪
You better start being real ♪
And stop your faking ♪
You better prepare yourself ♪
Ooh, for that rainy day ♪
You better throw a little ♪
Hey, sorry I'm late.
Oh, just, uh, 35 minutes, no worries.
Wow. You're calling me out with specifics.
You look good.
I'm coming from something else,
so don't read into it.
[chuckles]
How long is the boyfriend gone?
He's always out of town for work.
We're long-distance.
Oh, man, how's that going?
It is going.
- Where's your girl?
- Uh, she's working tonight.
She know we're hanging out?
- What are you trying to do me?
- I'm just curious.
This isn't illicit. We're just hanging.
Exactly.
So how long you guys been married?
Four years, um, but we've been
together since grad school.
And, you know
I do feel guilty being here.
[chuckles]
- You should.
- What about you?
- My situation is different.
- How so?
'Cause it's my business.
Your [laughs]
[Mia] So, before, uh, Emily,
you ever dated a Black woman?
Oh, snap. We doing this now?
- We are, yeah.
- All right.
[chuckles]
Uh, yeah, I mean, I've dated Black women.
Ever been in
a long-term relationship with one?
That's what I thought.
- All right, all right. Wait, wait, wait.
- [laughs]
[sputters] I know what you're thinking,
but I'm not that guy.
I always thought
that I'd marry a Black woman
somewhere down the line,
but then I just ended up with Emily, so
That's really romantic.
- Oh! Come on, I don't know.
- [laughs]
Mia, I'm sure I have my issues, but
I guess deep down,
I was always afraid
of fucking it up with them.
Would you fuck things up with me?
You're fucking flirting, man. [laughs]
[Mia] Yeah.
[laughs]
It's a habit.
You know, honestly, I haven't been
in that many relationships, period.
There was high school and college,
and then there was Emily, so
Mister Monogamy. Well, kind of.
- Seriously, what is wrong with you?
- [laughs]
I'm fucking with you, sorry.
We're obviously both just bored,
so we might as well have fun.
[breathes deeply]
I'm hungry. You hungry?
You probably can't sub for broccoli here.
You know what? Just for that, I'm asking.
[upbeat music playing]
Two more vodka DCs, AKA Diet Cokes,
flying at you.
You almost made it sound
like a real drink.
[laughs] It is.
Your parents are really attractive.
Oh, I know.
Probably why they got divorced
and married a couple uggos.
One hottie per household.
[both chuckle]
Um
This hadn't occurred to me
when I sat here, I swear to God.
Yeah, who sits in the middle
of someone's couch?
You have all these pillows
- and all expensive-looking.
- Really?
But there's just so much space.
You can move a pillow.
I know, but I mean, yeah.
I probably could have, yeah.
- Empower yourself.
- [chuckles]
So, uh, what do your parents do?
My mom is a loan manager
at the Bank of Maryland.
- Oh, wow!
- Yeah.
And my dad owns six Popeyes.
- Yo, what?
- [laughs]
Yeah, everyone reacts like that, I know.
Um, my mom gave my dad
the loan for his first Popeyes.
- Oh, wow.
- And then he left her.
- Oh. Oh, my God.
- [laughs]
I know. It's trifling, right?
I was, like, am I gonna go live?
- And I did. He fucking left her.
- [both laugh]
Do you want me to move over?
You can do whatever you want.
I should probably head home.
I have an early morning.
Yeah, I have an earlier morning.
- This was fun.
- Yeah.
- Good stuff.
- Yeah, great stuff.
[chuckles]
- Okay.
- Okay.
- [Marcus] Bye.
- Bye.
[door closes]
[sighs softly]
- There is a problem
- [woman on laptop] What did I do?
Mm. Hi.
Hey, I thought you hated this show.
What time is it? Is it super late?
Kinda, last-minute dinner
with some agents,
and then we out
and got some drinks afterwards, so
Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't text you.
Was work all right?
Everything okay?
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm just Just tired.
[chuckles softly]
- Okay, good night.
- Good night.
- [kids grunting]
- [indistinct chatter]
Yes. Here, bro.
Don't chug it. It's vodka.
- You ever give him the wrong sippy cup?
- Oh!
Yeah, mm-hmm, one time.
He threw it right up, too.
His first drink, man.
There you go, sweetheart! Armbar!
- [Marcus] Hey.
- It's okay, it's okay.
Somebody called you Van Jones?
- No
- You're Marcus.
- I'll kick somebody's ass, bro.
- No. I, uh
I meet someone else? I think.
What do you mean you think,
unless it's a ghost?
No, like it might be something real,
even though she has a boyfriend.
Oh, my God, are you serious?
That's why I don't leave the house,
shit like that.
Do my errands. Do shit with the kids.
I go home.
That's messy. What are you doing?
- Can I show you a picture?
- No.
Mm-mm. You make me like her,
then I'm thinking about her.
- I don't wanna be a part of it.
- Here we go.
Lemme see, hurry up.
- Oh, damn!
- Yeah.
[kids grunting]
What are you worried about?
You have no chance with this girl.
All right, all right.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
You let me see. Now let me live.
I'm invested. Yogi's approval.
Lemme see Oh, PG County.
She went to Spelman?
She makes more money than you.
How do you know?
I can tell, smooth-ass forehead,
that nose, those teeth.
She probably bite her apples smooth.
She got insurance.
What are you really doing now?
Like, Emily, that's your speed.
She don't mind
your low five-figure salary.
Whoa, whoa, high five figures.
It's mid to high five figures.
It's low.
But I don't think
Mia cares about that either.
It doesn't really matter
because we're technically just friends.
Oh, "we're just friends."
You always show me your friends
on social media,
and they always be fine as hell like that.
Are you not happy with Emily?
I don't know, man.
Everything is just fucking off.
Like, I just
I don't feel that spark anymore.
Let me ask you a question.
When's the last time y'all did
a romantic getaway?
Me and Tina, we do
a little Catskills weekend
The fucking mountains
are not gonna fix this.
I feel like I can't show her
who I really am.
Okay, Spider-Man,
what are you talking about?
No, I'm serious! We fell in love
with these versions of each other.
And now the dust is settled.
And, bro, we're just us.
You sound like one of them
white-ass books you be selling, man.
You gotta work at this shit.
Make the happiness happen.
I'ma tell you something
that you might not wanna hear.
This Mia shit Shut it down, bro.
Shut it down, man.
Go home to your wife, bro.
Yeah, you Yeah, you're right.
You're right.
- You're totally right.
- I know I'm right.
That's what's up, baby, yes!
There you go! There you go!
[line rings]
- [Mia] Hey, what's up?
- Yo, how you feeling today?
Honestly, I'm pretty hungover. [chuckles]
I think I'm gonna take it easy,
get in the bath, crawl into bed.
I don't know. You?
Is that soup up yet?
Thank you.
All right, uh, I'll take an Advil.
And do you have anything else
that's good for a hangover?
Dope.
Yo, hold that hold that door.
Can I help you?
Amar'e Stoudemire?
- Bingo.
- [Mia] Who is it?
- [Amar'e] Babe, you ordered food?
- [Mia] No.
- Uh, Postmates.
- [Amar'e] Okay.
Huh.
Yo, Gatorade. My man, I appreciate that.
- All right.
- [chuckles]
[muffled laughing]
[indistinct chatter]
[cell phone chimes]
[narrator] All Marcus could think
was thank God he hadn't risked everything
for someone so utterly out of his league.
At least now he knew.
And a distinct focus washed over him.
Marcus had been acting crazy.
He had always loved Emily.
Sure, they'd been
on autopilot for a while.
But what couple hasn't had
their rough patches?
Hey.
What's wrong?
"The first year I brought her home
to Michigan for Christmas,
she said the yams were too spicy.
So my family
still just calls her 'Spicy.'"
Em
Hang on, I'm just scrolling through
a bunch of pictures
of "ugly white babies."
Em
"Sorry, I know I'm being mean.
This is just my only outlet."
Oh. And how about these?
From literally the middle
of the fucking night last night.
[sniffles]
"I don't think she understands me.
You understand me
better than my own wife."
And then [sniffles]
"I shouldn't have gotten married
so young.
I feel stuck."
Are you with me, Jasmine? ♪
Can you let me in? ♪
Would you love me open? ♪
Like a bottle of gin ♪
Jasmine ♪
Is it 'cause I scheme? ♪
Is it 'cause I knew? ♪
She got the Jasmine ♪
Moving it quickly past me ♪
Jasmine ♪